1.

Introduction

The camp meeting has its origin from one of the annual feasts that the children of Israel used to
celebrate (Exo.23: 14-16) namely; Feast of Tabernacles

In the times of ancient Israel the Camp-meeting was known as the Feast of Tabernacles or
“Ingathering” This feast acknowledged God’s bounty in the products of the orchards, the olive
grove and the vineyard. It was the crowning festal gathering of the year.”(PP 539)

The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar starting
on the 15th of the month, 5 days just after the Day of Atonement. Thus when the assurance had
been given that their iniquity should be remembered no more, the people came before God to
acknowledge His goodness and praise Him for His mercy.
“In memory of their pilgrim life in the wilderness the people were now to leave their houses
and dwell in booths, or arbors, formed from the green branches "of goodly trees, branches of
palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook." Leviticus 23:40, 42, 43.
{PP 540.4}

“Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a Feast of
Tabernacles--a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them. As the children of Israel
celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous
preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind
the various ways He has devised for bringing us out from the world, and from the darkness of
error, into the precious light of His grace and truth.”
(PP 541)
Here’s the most interesting and wonderful significance of the feats of Tabernacles:

“The Feast of Tabernacles was not only commemorative but typical. It not only pointed back to
the wilderness sojourn, but, as the feast of harvest, it celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of
the earth, and pointed forward to the great day of final ingathering, when the Lord of the
harvest shall send forth His reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to
gather the wheat into His garner. At that time the wicked will all be destroyed. They will
become "as though they had not been." Obadiah 16.(PP541)
“ The people of Israel praised God at the Feast of Tabernacles, as they called to mind His
mercy in their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt and His tender care for them during
their pilgrim life in the wilderness. They rejoiced also in the consciousness of pardon and
acceptance, through the service of the Day of Atonement, just ended. But when the
ransomed of the Lord shall have been safely gathered into the heavenly Canaan, forever
delivered from the bondage of the curse, under which "the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22), they will rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory. Christ's great work of atonement for men will then have been completed,
and their sins will have been forever blotted out”.(PP 542)
2. Why Camp?

(a) Instrument in accomplishing God’s work

The camp meeting is one of the most important agencies in our work. It is one of the most
effective methods of arresting the attention of the people and reaching all classes with the
gospel invitation. The time in which we live is a time of intense excitement. Ambition and war,
pleasure and money-making, absorb the minds of men. Satan sees that his time is short, and he
has set all his agencies at work, that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied, and entranced,
until probation shall be ended and the door of mercy be forever shut. It is our work to give to
the whole world--to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people--the saving truths of the third
angel's message. But it has been a difficult problem to know how to reach the people in the
great centers of population. We are not allowed entrance to the churches. In the cities the
large halls are expensive, and in most cases but few will come out to the best halls. .. The Lord
has instructed us that the camp meeting is one of the most important instrumentalities for
the accomplishment of this work. {6T 31.1}
We must plan wisely, that the people may have an opportunity of hearing for themselves the
last message of mercy to the world. .. We must do our utmost to reach men where they are.
The world is now reaching the boundary line in impenitence and disregard for the laws of the
government of God. In every city of our world the warning must be proclaimed. All that can be
done should be done without delay. {6T 32.1}
Our Campmeetings should do a more thorough work in preparing the laborers for the work that
is to be done in every place.”—Loma Linda Messages p. 191 para.5}

(b)To promote Spiritual Life among God’s People

“And our camp-meetings have another object, preparatory to this. They are to promote
spiritual life among our own people….Christ reveals himself to us, that we may reveal him to
others. Through his people are to be manifested all the riches and glory of his unspeakable
gift.” {PH130 2.2}

“God has committed to our hands a most sacred work, and we need to meet together to
receive instruction, that we may be fitted to perform this work… We need to meet together and
receive the divine touch, that we may understand our work in the home. Parents need to
understand how they may send forth from the sanctuary of the home their sons and daughters,
so trained and educated, that they will be fitted to shine in the world” (PH130 2.3)

“Those who gather at camp-meetings must be impressed with the fact that the object of the
meetings is to attain to a higher Christian experience, to advance in the knowledge of God, to
become strengthened with spiritual vigour; and, unless we realise this, the meetings will to us
be fruitless.” {PH130 16.4}

3. God’s invitation to His people

“Individually, you need the benefits of the meeting, and God calls upon you to number one in
the ranks of truth… Some will say "It is expensive to travel, and it would be better for me to

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save the money, and give it to the advancement of the work where it is so much needed." Do
not reason in this way; God calls upon you to take your place among the rank and file of his
people. Strengthen the meeting all you possibly can by being present with your families. Put
forth extra exertion to attend the gathering of God's people. {PH130 9.2}

Brethren and sisters, it would be far better for you to let your business suffer than to
neglect the opportunity of hearing the message God has for you. Make no excuse that will
keep you from gaining every spiritual advantage possible. You need every ray of light. You
need to become qualified to give a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
You cannot afford to lose one such privilege. {PH130 9.3}

“The Lord saw that these gatherings were necessary for the spiritual life of His people. They
needed to turn away from their worldly cares, to commune with God, and to contemplate
unseen realities.” {PH130 10.2}

“If the children of Israel needed the benefit of these holy convocations in their time, how much
more do we need them in these last days of peril and conflict? And if the people of the world
then needed the light, which God has committed to his church, how much more do they need it
now? {PH130 10.3}

This is a time for every one to come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. The forces
of the enemy are strengthening, and as a people we are misrepresented. We desire the people
to become acquainted with our doctrines and work. We want them to know what we are, and
what we believe. We must find our way to their hearts. (PH130 10.4,11.1)

“We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and
encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and
importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by the sanctifying
influence, and we decline in spirituality…We are all children of one Father, dependent upon one
another for happiness. The claims of God and of humanity are upon us.”(PP541)

4. The result of not attending Campmeetings

Our camp-meetings are arranged and held at great expense….To neglect or treat these
messages with indifference, is to slight the mercy of God and His voice of warning and
entreaty. Your absence from these meetings has been very detrimental to your spiritual
welfare. You have missed the strength that you might have gained there by listening to the
preached word of God, and mingling with the believers of the truth.--Testimonies, vol. 4, p.
115. {ChS 197.1}

Let all who possibly can, attend these yearly gatherings. All should feel that God requires
this of them. If they do not avail themselves of the privileges which He has provided that they
may become strong in Him and in the power of His grace, they will grow weaker and weaker,
and have less and less desire to consecrate all to God. {ChS 197.3}

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 “Come, brethren and sisters, to these sacred convocation meetings, to find Jesus. He will
come up to the feast. He will be present, and He will do for you that which you most need to
have done. Your farms should not be considered of greater value than the higher interests of
the soul. All the treasures which you possess, be they ever so valuable, would not be rich
enough to buy you peace and hope, which would be infinite gain, if it cost you all you have and
the toils and sufferings of a lifetime. A strong, clear sense of eternal things, and a heart willing
to yield all to Christ, are blessings of more value than all the riches, and pleasures, and glories of
this world.”—Testimonies, vol. 2, pp. 575, 576. {ChS 198.1}

5. Preparation of the heart

“At these gatherings we must ever remember that two forces are at work. A battle unseen by
human eyes is being waged. The army of the Lord is on the ground seeking to have souls. Satan
and his synagogue are also at work, trying in every possible way to deceive and destroy….Day
by day the battle goes on. If our eyes could be open to see the good and evil agencies at work,
there would be no trifling, no vanity, no jesting, or joking. If all would put on the whole armour
of God and fight manfully the battles of the Lord, victories would be gained which would cause
the kingdom of darkness to tremble.”(PH130 11.1)

None should go to the camp meeting depending on the ministers or the Bible workers to make
the meeting a blessing to them…. As a steward of the grace of God, every church member
should feel an individual responsibility to have life and root in himself. All should feel that in a
measure the success depends upon them. Do not say, I am not responsible; I shall have nothing
to do in this meeting. If you feel thus, you are giving Satan opportunity to work through you. He
will crowd your mind with his thoughts, giving you something to do in his lines. Instead of
gathering with Christ, you will scatter abroad. {PH130 12.1}…. The success of the meeting
depends on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. For the outpouring of the Spirit, every
lover of the cause of truth should pray. And as far as lies in our power, we are to remove every
hindrance to his working. The Spirit can never be poured out upon us while variance and
bitterness toward one another are cherished by the members of the church .Envy, jealousy,
evil-surmising, and evil-speaking are of Satan, and they effectually bar the way against the Holy
Spirit's working. Nothing else in this world is so dear to God as His church. Nothing is guarded
by Him with such jealous care; nothing so offends God as an act that injures the influence of
those who are doing his service. He will call to account all who aid Satan in his work of criticising
and discouraging. ” (PH130 12.2)

“Heart must beat in unison with heart…The solemn, sacred truth for this time is to unify the
people of God. The desire for pre-eminence must die. One subject of emulation must swallow
up all others,--who will most nearly resemble Christ in character, who will most entirely hide
self in Jesus?” {PH130 12.3}

"Herein is my Father glorified," Christ says, "that ye bear much fruit." If there was ever a place
where the believers should bear much fruit it is at our camp-meetings. At these meetings, the
acts, the words, the spirit of the believers are marked, and their influence is as far reaching as
eternity.” {PH130 13.1}

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“ But in order for us to fulfill God's purpose, there is a preparatory work to be done. The Lord
bids us empty our hearts of the selfishness, which is the root of alienation. He longs to pour
upon us his Holy Spirit in rich measure, and he bids us clear the way by self-renunciation…

“When the grace of God reigns within, the soul will be surrounded with an atmosphere of
faith and courage and Christ like love—an atmosphere invigorating to the spiritual life of all
who inhale it. Then we can go to the camp meeting, not merely to receive, but to impart. Every
one who is a partaker of Christ's pardoning love,--every one who has been enlightened by the
Spirit of God and converted to the truth, will feel that for these precious blessings he owes a
debt to every soul with whom he comes in contact. Those who are humble in heart, the Lord
will use to reach souls whom the ordained ministers cannot approach. They will be moved to
speak words which reveal the saving grace of Christ.” {PH130 14.1}

“God gives us opportunity to impart grace, that he may refill us with increased grace” (PH130
15 .1)

8. Praise Meetings
“In our camp-meeting services there should be singing and instrumental music…music should
have its place in our services. It will add to the interest. And every day a praise meeting should
be held, a simple service of thanksgiving to God. There would be much more power in our
camp-meetings if we had a true sense of the goodness, mercy, and long-suffering of God, and if
more praise flowed forth from our lips to the honor and glory of His name. We need to cultivate
more fervour of soul. The Lord says, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me." {PH130 33.3}

9. Object Lessons from Campmeetings

Mark this Sentinels of God:

“Every camp-meeting should be an object lesson of neatness, order, and good taste. We must
give careful regard to economy, and must avoid display; but everything connected with the
grounds should be neat and tidy. Taste and tact do much to attract. And in all our work we
should present the discipline of organization and order.” {PH130 4.3}
“Let everything connected with the encampment be pure, wholesome, and clean. Special care
should be given to all sanitary arrangements, and men of sound judgment and discernment
should see that nothing is permitted to sow the seeds of sickness and death throughout the
encampment.” {PH130 5.1}
“ We should feel that we are representatives of truth of heavenly origin. We are to show forth
the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. We should ever
bear in mind that angels of God are walking through the encampment, beholding the order and
arrangement in every tent…All the surroundings should be a lesson. Especially should the family
tents, in their neatness and order, giving a glimpse of home life, be a constant sermon as to the
habits, customs, and practices of Seventh Day Adventists (Reformers)(emphasis mine). {PH130
5.3}

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10. About Food
(a) Avoid Indulgence
We should avoid errors, not only in the quality, but in the quantity of our food. Eating too
largely of even a simple diet will injure physical, mental, and moral health. Some persons have
formed the habit of eating at any time between their regular meals. If this practice is continued,
it becomes second nature. The stomach may be so educated as to desire food eight times a day,
and feel faint if it is not supplied. But this is no argument in favor of so frequent eating. Three
meals a day, and nothing between meals--not even an apple--should be the utmost limit of
indulgence. Those who go further violate nature's laws, and will suffer the penalty. Two meals a
day are better than three. {RH, May 8, 1883 par. 7}

(b) Temperance

The angel's prohibition included "every unclean thing." The distinction between articles of food
as clean and unclean was not a merely ceremonial and arbitrary regulation, but was based upon
sanitary principles. To the observance of this distinction may be traced, in a great degree, the
marvelous vitality which for thousands of years has distinguished the Jewish people. The
principles of temperance must be carried further than the mere use of spirituous liquors. The
use of stimulating and indigestible food is often equally injurious to health, and in many cases
sows the seeds of drunkenness. True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with
everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. There are few who realize as
they should how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their
usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny. The appetite should ever be in subjection to
the moral and intellectual powers. The body should be servant to the mind, and not the mind to
the body. {PP 562.1}

The Lord has a message for our cities, and this message we are to proclaim in our camp
meetings and by other public efforts, and also through our publications. In addition to this,
hygienic restaurants are to be established in the cities, and by them the message of
temperance is to be proclaimed. Arrangements should be made to hold meetings in connection
with our restaurants. Whenever possible, let a room be provided where the patrons can be
invited to lectures on the science of health and Christian temperance, where they can receive
instruction on the preparation of wholesome food and on other important subjects. In these
meetings there should be prayer and singing and talks, not only on health and temperance
topics, but also on other appropriate Bible subjects. As the people are taught how to preserve
physical health, many opportunities will be found to sow the seeds of the gospel of the
kingdom. {CD 276.3}

Light has been given me in regard to the foods provided at our camp meetings. Foods are
sometimes brought onto the campground which are not in keeping with the principles of health
reform. {CD 329.2}
If we are to walk in the light God has given us, we must educate our people, old and young,
to dispense with these foods that are eaten merely for the indulgence of appetite. Our children

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should be taught to deny themselves of such unnecessary things as candies, gum, ice cream,
and other knickknacks, that they may put the money saved by their self-denial into the self-
denial box, of which there should be one in every home. By this means large and small sums
would be saved for the cause of God. {CD 329.3}

Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be
the food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven. The less
feverish the diet, the more easily can the passions be controlled. Gratification of taste should
not be consulted irrespective of physical, intellectual, or moral health. {CD 63.3}

Nothing should be taken to camp meeting except the most healthful articles, cooked in a simple
manner, free from all spices and grease. {CD 85.3}

A plain diet, free from spices and flesh meats and grease of all kinds, would prove a blessing to
you, and would save your wife a great amount of suffering, grief, and despondency. {CD 354.6}

11. Counsel on Dressing

(a) Dressing for Worship

Let none dishonor God's sanctuary by their showy apparel. {CG 427.4}
All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that
external adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display
of the apparel, for this encourages irreverence. The attention of the people is often called to
this or that fine article of dress, and thus thoughts are intruded that should have no place in the
hearts of the worshipers. God is to be the subject of thought, the object of worship; and
anything that attracts the mind from the solemn, sacred service is an offense to Him. The
parading of bows and ribbons, ruffles and feathers, and gold and silver ornaments is a species
of idolatry and is wholly inappropriate for the sacred service of God. {CG 427.5}
Some receive the idea that in order to carry out that separation from the world that the
Word of God requires, they must be neglectful of their apparel. There is a class of sisters who
think they are carrying out the principle of nonconformity to the world by wearing an ordinary
sun-bonnet, and the same dress worn by them through the week, upon the Sabbath when
appearing in the assembly of the saints to engage in the worship of God. And some men who
profess to be Christians view the matter of dress in the same light. These persons assemble
with God's people upon the Sabbath, with their clothing dusty and soiled, and even with gaping
rents in their garments, which are placed upon their persons in a slovenly manner. {CG 428.1}
This class, if they had an engagement to meet a friend honored by the world, by whom they
wished to be especially favored, would exert themselves to appear in his presence with the best
apparel that could be obtained; for this friend would feel insulted were they to come into his
presence with their hair uncombed and garments uncleanly and in disorder. Yet these persons
think that it is no matter in what dress they appear or what is the condition of their persons
when they meet upon the Sabbath to worship the great God. {CG 428.2}

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 (b) Avoid Extremes
Do not occupy your time by endeavoring to follow all the foolish fashions
in dress. Dress neatly and becomingly, but do not make yourself the subject of remarks either
by being overdressed or by dressing in a lax, untidy manner. Act as though you knew that the
eye of heaven is upon you, and that you are living under the approbation or disapprobation of
God. {CG 415.1}
I have been shown that some of our camp meetings are far from being what the Lord
designed they should be. The people come unprepared for the visitation of God's Holy Spirit.
Generally the sisters devote considerable time before the meeting to the preparation of
garments for the outward adorning, while they entirely forget the inward adorning, which is
in the sight of God of great price. {CD 46.2}

(c) Care in Dress Not to Be Confused With Pride.

There is a class who are continually harping upon pride and dress, who are careless of their
own apparel, and who think it a virtue to be dirty, and dress without order and taste; and their
clothing often looks as if it flew and lit upon their persons. Their garments are filthy, and yet
such ones will ever be talking against pride. They class decency and neatness with pride. {CG
415.2}
Those who are careless and untidy in dress are seldom elevated in their conversation and
possess but little refinement of feeling. They sometimes consider oddity and coarseness
humility. {CG 415.3}

Amen!!!!

Key to Abbreviations:

PP—Patriarchs and prophets

PH 130—Pamphlet 130 derived from Testimonies Vol. 6
CG—Child Guidance
CD—Counsels on Diets and Foods
ChS—Christian Service
6T—Testimonies volume 6

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